


One Of Us

by placidwriter



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Adopted Children, Alexandria Safe-Zone, Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Related, Canonical Character Death, Dark Past, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s04e16 A, F/F, F/M, Family, Grady Memorial Hospital, Grimes Family 2.0, M/M, Miscommunication, Past Relationship(s), Past Torture, Season Finale, Season/Series 04, Season/Series 05, Season/Series 06, Slow Burn, Step-parents, Team Family, Terminus (The Walking Dead), Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-20
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-06-03 08:12:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6603436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/placidwriter/pseuds/placidwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You afraid of dying?" he asks with so little care in the world.</p><p>She wants to tell him that death is a synonym for freedom, but she doesn't. She wants to tell him that it isn't death she fears, that she craves death like a wanton whore off her fix. She wants to tell him that what she fears is what they're doing, breathing, being, surviving, living. But instead, she simply shakes her head and says, "nah."</p><p>(The Walking Dead - Canon Divergence - Season 04, Episode 16)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reasons to Live

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A loner helps Rick before he can reach his breaking point and Michonne finds someone she lost long ago. Glenn's group makes it to Terminus.

Her feet shuffle below her, though she'd stopped counting her steps around the thousands, numbers jumbling in her brain and reminding her of her hatred for the mathematics department of every high school. Her arm drags the blood-clotted machete behind her as she chants in her head something other than those damn numbers. She whispers names to the back of her brain.

_Philip Blake_

_Merle Dixon_

_Caesar Martinez_

_Trevor Shumpert_

_Alan Crowley_

_Neil Gargulio_

_Tim Kayo_

She says them over and over again until they're ingrained, but even then she dosen't stop. Can't stop.

She hears voices, a man talking about blood. She pauses her dead-walk shuffle and looks down. She hasn't bathed in days.. weeks. When did she escape them? It feels like hours.

 _"You want blood, you take mine."_ Noble, she thinks to herself. A man risking himself for others. Those were far and few between. She hasn't seen a man worth the shoes he wears since Gino. She tries not to think of Gino, though. To make herself focus, she repeats the lists of names.

She almost turns away, but another voice stops her.  _"Let him go!"_ And then a small, " _Dad!"_ She frowns deeply to herself and stands up straight, stealthy moving to the edge of the forest but still keeping hidden. To her left, there's a bear of a man holding down a little boy and she winces. A child, growing up in this world. 

A smaller group of men are off to the side wailing on another, and two more men holding two adults a small ways away. The man with a gun to his head catches her eye, making him stiffen. He must think she is one of the dead. _Might as well be,_ she thinks to herself. She moves one finger to her lips and continues to stare at him for a minute. She doesn't move until she knows he got her message.

_Stay quiet and hold off._

She's outnumbered, but everyone is focused on their victim. She starts with the pervert holding down the boy. The crack of his skull alerts the others though, and a full battle breaks out. She got the boy, safe and away from bloodshed, and that's enough on her part. When the battle is over and the four victims are safe in one another's hold, she continues her dead-walk down the road.

"Stop!" The boy calls, making her pause. She doesn't turn to face them, because it's best not to know their faces. "Where are you going?"

She contemplates it, turning it over in her mind. Where was she going? She runs her fingers downs her own thighs, the pants she wears covering the scars down there. Where is she going?

"This road leads somewhere," she settles for. Her voice is something she hasn't heard since she learned screams only excite the men hurting you. It's rough and she croaks halfway through her sentence. The opening of her mouth sets off something, the malnutrition, dehydration, and lack of sleep catches up to her all at once. She falls to her knees and blackouts.

 

 

*******

 

 

When she wakes up, it's day time and she's leaned up against a boulder. She isn't caked in blood anymore and she can feel the sun on her face, a feeling she's only remembered in her pain-induced sleep. It's sad, to think about how scared she is feeling this alive.

She hears voices behind her and clears her thoughts to listen.

"You sure it's her?" A man asks lowly. "You said it yourself, you haven't seen her since the beginning of this thing. You thought she was dead."

"That's because she was in California. We talked almost daily but then the power went out and I just never heard from her again." An almost recognizable voice answers. 

"I just don't want-"

"Uhhh, guys?" A small voice cut in and she looks in front of her to find the boy. He's a teenager, barely she thinks. His hair is a ridiculous length and his eyes are guarded but curious. "You're awake," he tells her as if she couldn't deduce that herself.

How does one answer such an obvious statement. Seems that way? Yes? Sadly? Wish you'd point that gun and shoot a bullet straight through my brain? Instead, she stays silent and listens to the footfalls behind her. Three, adults. She turns her head to the right, and there is two men and one woman. The first man, who she thinks is the boy's father, has a full beard and curls for days. He's tall and keeps his hand on his gun. He's also holding her machete. The second man is around the same age with less hair on his face but just as long hair on his head. He holds a bow and arrow and it's pointed right at her. She hopes his hand slips.

The last is the woman. She has flawless dark skin and a katana on her back. There is recognition in her wet eyes and it takes a moment before...

"Mitexi." She whispers and it feels fake to hear her name. She wouldn't say it because it was the last thing she heard, screamed as a heard of the dead tore apart Lily and Tony. The men only called her derogatory names, except Milton who nicknamed her Sunshine, which was ironic in itself.

To hear her name slip so easily from someone she casted off long dead is somewhere between heaven and hell.

She sits up, and then stands on unsteady legs. No one moves and she calculates her options. Finally, she opens her mouth and says, "you can't be real."

Bile rises in her throat but she has nothing in her stomach to give up. Her body shakes, wind blowing her around like a plastic bag. She thinks of an old song, about drifting through the wind. She starts to recite a book she read to Harrison every night before bed, closing her eyes and imagining the vibrant colors.

"Mitexi, it's me. Michonne." The woman whispers in distress. She leans back against the rock and hears a grunting noise. Her fingers go to grip her machete, but she doesn't have it. 

"Michonne is dead," she snaps, the groaning getting louder. She looks at the woman. "Everyone is dead. Shit, I might as well be dead." She repeats and grips the air tighter. She holds her hands out to the man with her weapon. "Give me."

"She's delusional." The one with the bow states, stiffening. She doesn't move forward though. "What do we do, Rick?"

Rick... she knows the name. There was a Rick at Woodbury that night.  _Where are our people!?_

Rick is watching her with calculating eyes. He turns to Michonne and they both nod for a second. In the next, she has her weapon back and the three dead walking their way walk no more. They all watch her as she leans back against the boulder again.

"Where are your people?" She whispers lowly and turns to look at Rick. He stiffens. "I heard you that night. The attack. I hear everything because walls are thin in that hell." She says without saying anything. "He take your people? You get them back?"

Silence still. They're deducing what little information she's given. They don't know who she's talking about a hundred percent but they all have an idea. "God he was so angry," she laughs and holds out her empty hand. They take in the long jagged scar down her forearm and Michonne intakes heavy air. "Did that the morning before he left to rectify. Said he'd be getting me a friend and maybe if I was good he'd let me out once he got her." She continues and gives Rick a dying smirk. "I only wish I could've seen his face when he realized I was gone."

"He's dead... they're all dead. Woodbury is no more." Rick tells her and she feels something inside her heave. If he is telling the truth, then her reason for living just vanished into the wind that had picked up minutes before.

She doesn't know what to say, so instead she drops her once again bloodied machete and whimpers. "Michy.... Michy I'm so tired." She whispers pathetically before promptly passing back out.

 

 

*******

 

 

The group of eight made their way into Terminus. Glenn, leading them with Abraham coming in as a close second, all took in the growing flowers and signs of promise. A woman stands before a barbeque, grilling something up. Glenn holds an arm out for everyone to stop and he gulps, taking a step forward.

"Hello," he calls out shortly. The woman turns around and smiles at them eagerly.

"Hello," she greets, "I'm Mary. Welcome to Terminus."


	2. Long Overdue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When they arrive at Terminus, Rick's group and Glenn's group reunite and Mitexi feels something other than numbness.

"They've had you all this time?" Michonne asks quietly. They were walking along the tracks, Michonne and Carl balancing on the two ends with Mitexi between them. It was cheating, but every time Carl almost falls she gives him a slight nudge to help him steady. Rick is about five feet ahead of them, saying something or another to Daryl who walks beside him.

"No," the younger woman answers uncomfortably. It'd been two days since she met them and she was already far better off than before. Michonne had made her drink and Daryl managed to catch three squirrels, which meant Michonne made her practically eat a whole one herself. One doesn't realize how close they are to starving to death until they almost do. "I was in Arizona with the family I was staying with. A herd blew through and.. and Lily and Tony didn't make it." She whispers.

"I'm sorry," Michonne answers honestly. They don't speak about it anymore because they didn't want to talk about the rest. Mitexi doesn't want to ask about Andre, sweet baby peanut, and Mike. And Michonne doesn't want to ask about Caleb and Olivia, the two children she cared for.

They continue on with Carl filling the silence.

 

 

*******

 

 

 

It's barely noon when they make it to the gates of Terminus. They look down on the gated area, tracks stopping at this one place. 

"Alright," Rick says after a moment.  They devise a plan where most of their weapons are thrown into a bag with the rest of their supplies and buried. Mitexi has only her machete, which she keeps. Michonne keeps her sword, Daryl his bow and a knife. Rick and Carl each have a gun and they set off through the back instead of the front entrance. A woman is speaking into a microphone and cuts herself off when she notices the group.

"Oh," a man chuckles when he sees the group of five - weapons drawn. "Well it's safe to say Albert is on watch duty." His joke falls flat to the newcomers. "Are you here to take what's ours?"

Rick answers for them, "we're here for sanctuary."

The man looks almost gitty and Mitexi's stomach twists. He reminds her of Philip. "Well then, I am Gareth. And welcome to Terminus. Sorry, the welcome party up front is far more exciting than this."

"We wanted to see you before you saw us," Daryl says lowly, eyes narrowed.

"Smart," Gareth praises as if they need that. "No problem at all. I'm just gonna have to ask you to drop your weapons, put them out in front of you. It's just cautiousness on our part. You understand?"

He talks too much, Mitexi thinks. But instead of showing the disbelief she feels when Rick starts lowering his gun, she does the same and drops her machete. Her face stays neutral, until one of the other men steps forward and tries to pat her down. He bends to touch her legs and she kicks him, sending him scurrying away with a harsh glare.

"Forgive her," Rick says shortly and Daryl bends to pick up her weapon and give it back to her. She sends him a grateful look and stands taller. "Mitexi doesn't like being touched by strangers." She sends the man another dark look and Michonne grazes their fingers together shortly, making the message clear to the people of Terminus. 

"That is no problem. If you'll come follow me, we'll get you fed and washed up." Gareth says with too much pip in his step. They follow him and his brother, Alex, the man who tried to touch her. They keep their guards high and without much thought draw their weapons when Rick attacks the man.

"Where'd you get this watch?" He hisses and holds the watch he took from Alex. He points out other things too; a poncho, a gun. Mitexi doesn't recognize these things, but Rick and the others do which means only one thing. They have their people.

 

 

*******

 

 

She doesn't know how they get here, the five of them surrounded with weapons dropped. If Gareth hadn't threatened Carl, she's sure he would've been gutted by now - though she can't place a solid bet on who would have the honors to do so, Michonne or Rick.

"Each of you are going to walk to the train car to your left now, one by one, when I tell you to. If anyone makes any sudden movements, the boys dies." Gareth says evenly and Mitexi tenses along with the rest of them. "Ring Leader, you're up first." He calls to Rick, who doesn't move for a minute. "If you go peacefully, the boy joins you. If you resist, he dies and you end up in there anyways." He threatens and Rick takes a breath. Carl nods at him subtly and Rick nods back, before heading to the train car. Gareth continues, "now the Archer." A pause before Daryl moves to follow Rick. "Now the Samurai," he yells. Michonne glares his way and follows Daryl.

Mitexi looks at Carl, whom she's known for almost two days now. The boy looks scared, but it's buried deep in his eyes. "Go on, Los Macheteros." Gareth shouts and Mitexi clenches her fists before stiffly following after Michonne. "Stand at the door, Ring Leader, Archer, Samurai, Los Macheteros, in that order." He calls.

They stand there for a minute before Rick shouts out, "My son!" Gareth finally lets Carl go and the kid stiffly walks to stand behind Mitexi. She only breaths when she can feel his body heat hit her back.

"Ring Leader, open the door and go inside." Gareth orders and Rick steps up slowly, unlocking the door and sliding it open. The five of them step inside one by one and only once Carl is inside with them and Michonne has her arm around him does the door close.

It's dark, but light shines through some crack and their eyes adjust quickly. Someone steps forward from the other end of the cart and Mitexi just makes out the face of an Asian looking young man. She hears him whisper, "Rick? Is that you?" Two women step forward as well, and another man.

Rick lets out a breath, and replies, "you're here." It's almost like a question until he repeats more firmly. "You're here."

Four more people step forward, two men and two women. The brunette who first stepped up with the Asian man speaks. "They're our friends," she says, "they helped save us."

"Yeah," Daryl replies with a nod and maybe a smirk. "Now they're friends of ours."

She feels eyes on her and narrows her own at the people in front of them. "My sister," Michonne calls out and wraps her hand around her wrist. Mitexi closes her eyes, because she hasn't been anyone's anything in a long time. "This is my sister."

The Asian grins at her and she feels something in her stomach twist. "Welcome to the family, sister."


	3. No Sanctuary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trapped in the train car, the group gets ready to fight back. Meanwhile, Carol is making her own escape plan.

Everyone is using the items on them to make into weapons - rings, chains, belts, the works. As they work, they catch everyone else up.

Mitexi learns the names of the other group, or, rather, the rest of their group. Daryl tells Maggie about her sister being taken but that she was alive last he knew. They tell Sasha that they haven't seen her brother, Tyreese, but that they have no inclination of him being dead either. The man with the mullet, Eugene, asks Mitexi where she has been this entire time if she hasn't been with Michonne. Everyone gives pause and subtly tries to listen to the silent sister of their good friend.

"Been tryin'," she responds with before getting back to work on her makeshift weapons. No one asks her to explain what she means, thankfully.

Daryl breaks the silence again a few minutes later. "Alright," he calls out, "we got four of 'em pricks comin' our way."

Everyone gets into position with Rick leading. "You all know what to do, go for their eyes first." He commands and Carl stands behind Michonne and Mitexi, next to Eugene. "And their throats."

"Put your backs to the walls at either end of the car," a voice says from the outside. "Now!" The top opens and they all look up in time to see a canister falling down.

Abraham is the first to react. "Move!" He yells and Mitexi is grabbed by Michonne and Carl before being pulled to the end of the cart. She can't see anything but she can hear the door being opened. She hears yelling and cursing and the door closes again. It takes minutes for the car to clear of smoke again and they look around.

Rick, Daryl, Bob, and Glenn are gone.

"Shit," Abraham curses and Carl shakes his head, walking to look outside. It's clear. "What are we gonna do now?"

"We continue making our weapons and we wait." Michonne orders, and Maggie nods her head as if to agree. Though, both their stomachs are in their throats.

"Rick won't let anything happen to 'em. We need to carry on with the plan incase they come back." Maggie nods and turns to Sasha. "You take watch. The rest of you, get back to work."

Even though she isn't Rick, they listen to her.

 

 

*******

 

 

It feels like forever has passed when something finally happens. There are loud noises, groaning which means the dead are close. Gunshots, then an explosion.

"What in hell is going on out there?" Abraham growls and everyone pauses when the groaning only gets louder. The dead are inside the compound, Sasha tells them. She calls them Walkers, which is what she adapts. She remembers Philip calling them Biters.

"Anyone see Rick?" Michonne asked lowly as they all looked through cracks. "Glenn? Daryl? Bob?"

"Hey," Carl calls out and stares at them. "My dad is coming back. They all are. We gotta be ready to help them when they get here though." He tells them all with hard eyes. 

Maggie nods her head, "he's right. Get back to your weapons."

They silently work until the door opens and Rick comes into view, yelling at them to 'come on'. As she runs, Mitexi keeps Michonne and Carl in her sights. She's one of the first to jump over the gate and when Carl does, she catches him. He's panting and she can almost hear his heart beating.

"Everyone here?" Rick asks once he and Abraham are over the fence.

"Everyone here." Michonne tells him.

"Good," is his response as everyone catches their breath. "Let's go."

 

 

*******

 

 

She sits against a tree while everyone argues over whether to kill off the rest of the Terminus people or not. She looks over the machete Bob handed her once Rick told him to. It isn't her's, her's had a brown handle and was shorter. She nicks her thumb while examining the blade, but ignores the dull sting of it in favor of looking up when a woman appears in her peripheral vision. She has grey hair and is older, probably forties or fifties. 

Daryl hugs her, so she must be another part of their group. Mitexi wonders how many are actually in the group when whole.

"Did you do that?" Rick asks her when Daryl lets her go. She gives a small nod and hugs him back when he hugs her.

"You have to come with me," the woman tells them and Mitexi thinks that her voice is soothing. That of a mother singing her child to sleep. 

As they follow the woman named Carol, she fills Rick on what happened after they apparently split up. She ruffles Carls hair, hugs Maggie and Sasha, kisses Glenn's forehead. When Michonne introduces her to Mitexi, she welcomes her to the family like Glenn did but respects her decision to decline a hug.

They make it to a cabin and Mitexi is a bit nervous when she finally makes it over the hill to see Rick holding an infant. Carl is kissing her face repeatedly, which only means this is Rick's daughter.

While everyone greets the newcomers, Mitexi stays in the background with Tara, Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene.

"Aren't you family too?" Abraham asks her, and to her ears it sounds almost bitter. "Why don't you go greet your family?"

She gives him a look for a minute, and takes a seat leaned up against the nearest tree. She takes out her knew machete and cleans it, ridding it of blood and dirt. Her answer is silent and simple - she doesn't have a family.


End file.
